Author: Savannah Busch          Major: Public Health

Afternoon in Retiro Park at Palacio de Cristal

Hi, my name is Savannah Busch and I am a Public Health major with a Spanish minor on the pre-medical track. After my junior year, in July of 2021, I studied abroad with the company API on a program titled Summer Spanish Language, Humanities, and Business Studies in Madrid. I took two courses at Universidad de Nebrija which is located in the heart of Madrid in the Malasaña district. Studying abroad at a host institution is unlike a vacation or faculty-led program in the sense that you create your own unique schedule and have a lot of independence and flexibility with your time outside of class. I had a daily routine- visit a local coffee shop on my morning commute, go to my Spanish culture class, return to the student residence to journal and eat lunch with international friends, and finally attend an art history of Spain course. My afternoons and evenings were spent exploring the Malasaña neighborhood and enjoying the many museums and parks Madrid has to offer such as Retiro Park.

My university had cultural excursion activities designed to connect students with Spanish culture and each other. I took advantage of this through a traditional cuisine cooking class. We worked together to make Gazpacho, Tortilla Española, Paella, and Tarta de Santiago. These dishes originate from different regions of Spain, and we learned about their origins and history while cooking together.

Yet, I learned the most about other cultures through my interactions with friends at my residencia, where I lived. For context, Spanish residencias do not operate like American dormitories. The buildings are old and have courtyards, narrow staircases, and confusing floor plans. My room had a large floor-to-ceiling window that opened to a balcony overlooking the street below. Every room is unique in these old buildings, so some of my friends had tiny windows that looked at neighboring building walls. There was a small kitchen where one woman cooked all three meals a day for the students at the residencia. We had to tell her if we would miss a meal because during the summer there were so few students present that every meal counted. She cooked us traditional food at the traditional mealtimes- 2 or 3pm for lunch and 9 or 10pm for dinner. These were the ideal opportunity to meet other students. My closest friend group had students from the Canary Islands, southern France, and north Wales. Meals quickly became my favorite times of the day because our conversations were full of cultural exchanges and learnings. I was surprised to know how much Europeans know about other countries and the world around them, specifically America. They would ask me questions about American politics, while I didn’t even know the names of their country’s leaders. They listened to American music and watched American movies. I taught them about Arkansas because it was their first time meeting someone truly from the south. They laughed when I said “y’all” in conversation. Yet, I learned a lot from them. It is extremely common for European students to travel internationally with their friends on “holiday” and for entire semesters or years during their time in university. They all knew at least 2, if not 3, languages fluently and had very internationally based friend groups at their home universities. These conversations and friends at the residencia made Madrid feel like a home for three weeks.

Looking back, I wished that I had studied for longer than one month. By the end of the program, I had finally found my normal routine and developed a strong friend group. I had developed a “normal” in Madrid. I know that I would have learned more about the Spanish culture and developed more as a person with a little more time. However, I still recommend studying abroad for any length of time to everyone! It is the best way to learn about yourself and gain independence and confidence in unknown environments and changing situations. Moreover, I strongly encourage students to live in a student residence because it allows for full immersion and the opportunity to create lasting friendships that would not occur otherwise.